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Seizing the Light: A History of Photography | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Hirsch
Brand: Osborne/Mcgraw Hill
Category: Book
Buy Used: $40.00
New (19) Used (35) from $40.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 24521
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.8
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 8.5 x 1
MPN: 0697143619
ISBN: 0697143619
Dewey Decimal Number: 770.9
EAN: 9780697143617
ASIN: 0697143619
Publication Date: October 22, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Develop your image of photography with Seizing the Light - the first major photographic history written in 20 years and the most sharply focused and up-to-date history of photography available. Hirsch delivers a clear picture from every angle by tracking the development of photographic style from the earliest pioneers to the modern masters. He examines photographic technology from the pinhole camera to digitalization and brings to light the intriguing artistic and scientific advances that have entwined photography with every aspect of contemporary society.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Great history book December 30, 2008
There's a lot of photography history books out there, and this is one of my favorites. This is great for someone looking for basic history or for someone that's looking for a little more. While like most large bulk history books it doesn't go overly in depth but its a great springboard for photo history.
I would recommend this book for anybody getting into photography both student and hobbyist.
Good Stuff, Can't Complain May 2, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'll make it clean cut here; the buyer gave me what I wanted and the item is in great shape. What else could I ask for? Very happy and the delivery was of average speed.
Modernity Begins with the Advent of Photography February 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Robert Hirsch's survey of the origins and evolution of photography, "Seizing the Light," is a welcome addition to the expanding study of the medium. In clear, insightful, and engaging prose, Hirsch unfolds photography's hit-or-miss birth which was rapidly followed by coherent technological developments almost at the speed of light. Hirsch makes us believe that photography was inevitable; the darling and necessary child of destiny wed to information theory. And Hirsch's treatment of early 20th century Modernist photography and the philosophy behind Pictorialism is excellent.
As a primer for the invention of photography and its chemical underpinnings, "Seizing the Light" is as good as it can be. It falls a little short, however, in its treatment of contemporary photography. The book would have been better served by including a few in-depth surveys of important contemporary photographic projects in order to emphasize the centrality of this discipline in contemporary art history and postmodern theory which is heavily dependent on the nature of images and processes of image-making.
 Seizing the Photographic Light March 23, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Overall a great book on the history of photography. VERY comprehensive overview of the evolution of photography. It ties movements in art and social events into photography trends and developments. It also provides insight into how photographers and artists used the medium to express themselves and how experimentation lead to improvements over the years. My only negative comment would be that some of the earlly forms of cameras were not pictured. There were diagrams of early cameras, but after the first hundred years, there is little to no documentation on how they evolved cosmetically/ functionally. It'd be nice to see an example of the various "groundbreaking" cameras as they were discussed. Otherwise, a great book.
The Persistence of Fine Books December 29, 2005
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
For everyone with an interest in photography, either as an artist of the medium, a beginner looking for direction, or a collector who wants informed background to enhance appreciation of fine photographs both from the past and from the present obsession, SEIZING THE LIGHT: A History of Photography is essential reading.
Robert Hirsch knows his subject and in one hefty book manages to share the beginnings of photography some 200 years ago with the evolution of the camera and the discipline of photographing. Well illustrated with both photographs and drawings, Hirsch chronicles the famous and not so famous practitioners of the art in succinct but richly colorful biographical abstracts to accompany examples of each artist. The phases through which this art form has passed makes for fascinating reading even beyond the scope of the title: the use of the camera in documenting the history of our globe at celebration, at war, at discovery, and at the side of the people of the day is a journey well lead by a writer well skilled.
Though this book is now six years old it remains one of the more important textbooks for the art school classroom. But more important it is so richly written that it remains a fascinating survey of life since the camera. From the beginnings of the pinhole box to the present day digital images on the cell phone etc, the invention of the camera has inextricably changed our perception of the world. Learn the how and why of it! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05
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